33 comments:

I am also curious about what made Terry change his mind. I am glad he will be there, and I hope the ovation is loud enough and long enough to make John Henry and his boys go hide in their luxury boxes. Along with Bobby V.

Carl Crawford went 1-for-3 (HR) in an extended spring game on Wednesday. ... Daisuke Matsuzaka is "close" to making a rehab start. ... Andrew Miller will pitch for PAW on Thursday and could replace Justin Thomas for the NYY series.

I hope they don't mess up Francona's entrance in some passive agressive belittling way. By that I mean I hope he comes out in a way that allows the crowd to really react to him, as opposed to having him come out as another generic cog in a whole group of "past players."

That would be the one way that current management could mess this up, and the more I think of it, it seems almost likely they'll do it this way. That way Francona would technically still be there, but he wouldn't get an ovation that might make ownership look bad by contrast.

I hope Terry Francona takes a quiet moment Friday, looks at the 2 flags posted under his watch and realizes how grateful I am. Because of those two flags my sports life has changed - the Yankee fans are silenced forever. Without his even handed guidance of some very difficult to manage players we would still be in agony. Let's appreciate what this man did for us and wish him a wonderful life going forward.

In the context of baseball, yes, absolutely. Not in the larger context of the fate of the world or saving lives, but I assumed we were only speaking in the context of the Red Sox here.

There's an element of selfishness in everything we do - all of us - player, manager, fan, etc. You could say that every player's charity work is done for publicity purposes. But those acts are still charitable - they still help people. It's not either-or. There's no reason to make Tito's attendance on Friday look like some kind of cynical ploy.

I'm really glad he changed his mind. And in a way, I know what he's saying. The fans, who almost to a one, showed support for him all along, obviously want him to be there, feel he is a big part of their history with the team, and would see his absence as a negative in what is supposed to be a "celebration". So while he was certainly not obligated, I can see a sense of "owing it".

This is kind of odd since the restaurant was there for decades already, and it's all the way in Stamford, CT anyway. (Plus the Texas locations.) Also, it's just a sports bar/restaurant--"steakhouse" makes it sound all fancy but it's not one of those, it's a place you can walk into in your ratty clothes, look at endless sports memorabilia and play Pop-a-shot, a good atmosphere. Check it out.

"I hope he comes out in a way that allows the crowd to really react to him, as opposed to having him come out as another generic cog in a whole group of "past players." "

Obviously Tito's gonna get a huge ovation any time he ever comes back. But tomorrow is about Fenway Park--I hope every player/coach gets the exact same treatment. It's not about celebrating the guys who won extra, it's about celebrating the team and the place.

I hate how it's turned into "a cheer for Francona equals a boo for ownership," as if they have nothing to do with the championships.

It's not about celebrating the guys who won extra, it's about celebrating the team and the place.

True as that is, there's no way to separate feelings about Fenway and the Sox from 2004 and 2007. If Red Sox fans were still in their pre-2004 state, the whole thing would feel so different - it would be so different.

On April 11, 2005, Leskanic would return to Fenway Park to receive his World Series ring. He was received with a standing ovation, as did all members of the Boston Red Sox Johnny Pesky greeted him during the ring ceremony by saying,“Leskanic! You son of a bitch”